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Old 02-13-2020, 11:44 PM
Mike S's Avatar
Mike S Mike S is offline
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Default Steering stabilizer ?

Is anyone using a steering stabilizer? I was watching some videos of my car (67 GTO). When the front wheels touch down after the wheel stand I notice the front wheels shimmy for a foot or 2. I have never noticed this inside the car. I was thinking a stabilizer might help. I am still using the stock steering with a flaming river manual box.
Just wondering if anyone did this and what you used. Anything else I should be looking at?

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Old 02-13-2020, 11:55 PM
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Shows on my computer. Don't know if it shows up in this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gk2q...ature=youtu.be

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Old 02-14-2020, 12:22 AM
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I can't see close enough in the video, but I'd suspect effects of bumpsteer with the stock steering.

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Old 02-14-2020, 01:34 AM
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Kevspontiacs@aol.com Kevspontiacs@aol.com is offline
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Iirc Marcella had this issue also. Might try to PM him.

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Old 02-14-2020, 08:17 AM
TheGrudge TheGrudge is offline
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Hard to see in the video; do both tires lift/land evenly? Bump steer is more likely when one tire hits a bump or if one tire lands before the other. Fairly easy to compensate for bump steer by adjusting the angle of the tie rods to as near to level as possible at rest; moot point when yanking the front wheels though. Do you find yourself correcting the steering? Steering dampers help when you get into the cycle of correcting/overcorrecting/overcorrecting/overcorrecting...
I work on a lot of German cars (restoring a 560SL at the moment) - the Germans persevered with steering boxes and drag links until the early 2000s and most used steering dampers. I also dig that they used a damper (shock absorber) in place of a torque strap (on the opposite side) to dampen torque reaction, but that’s another topic.

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Old 02-14-2020, 09:30 AM
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That's caused by "bump steer" which is from excessive toe change when the suspension extends/compresses. You can replace the outer tie rods with ones with a longer stud. Some are adjustable for stud length (with spacers) to get the least toe change for your specific vehicle. Also, steering arms are available for some vehicles with a lower tie rod attachment point. Google "bum steer kit for 67 GTO" .....

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Old 02-15-2020, 02:39 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike S View Post
... Is anyone using a steering stabilizer?...
... Just wondering if anyone did this and what you used...
Not for drag racing, but I'll answer those two questions:
Yes. My 1917 Buick suffered terrifying wobble on sharp-edged bumps. I made brackets to clamp onto the axle and onto the cross tie rod to mount a shock absorber. I just used whatever spare new shock that I had around. Maybe it was pure luck, but the result is perfect. No wobble over bad rail crossings at up to 40 mph. Increase in steering effort is barely noticeable.

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